generic.

1. Applying to a whole class rather than a particular named or distinctive example.

2. Sold under the name of its active ingredient rather than a protected brand.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• generic description
• generic category

On the page

The generic description concealed important differences among households.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Comparative more generic; superlative most generic for lack of specificity. Drug-name adjective non-gradable. Noun singular generic; plural generics. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, evaluation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.